External hard drive read error, options?

Question

I am getting a read error on my external hard drive. I have tried run scan and repair, I have tried to do this through the properties tab, and ran a code I found in one of the messages. I have tried restarting my computer, turning it off for a while and still nothing. It has been "running" for over 3 hours now and the progress bar has not moved. I do not know what else to do.

Answer 1

I'm really sorry about that. Since you have already tried the drive on a different device, it's confirmed that the drive is failing.

If you have already tried chkdsk without success (steps below),

Press Windows + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin).

Type chkdsk X: /f (replace X with the drive letter).

Press Enter.

If prompted to schedule the check on the next restart, type Y and press Enter.

If it still didn't work, please consult a professional repair service for potential recovery.

Please let me know if you have any more questions, I'll do my best to respond as soon as possible.

Answer 2

It finally finished scanning over night and told me it couldn't be repaired. I tried a different laptop and I got the same response. Now it is not even showing as an option in my files, although the power/connection light is on and I can look it up in disk management. I am at a complete loss now.

Answer 3

Hello there! I am Charity, I'm an Independent Advisor. I'm glad to help you today!

My apologies about that. May I ask if you have tried the drive in a different device?

Kind Regards,

Charity

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Please note that things might need more than one reply to completely resolve your issue, as it will completely depend on the complexity of the question and the amount of detail that you have provided me.

Answer 4

Your HD maker/external maker will have a free disk checking tool.

In Disk Management, is the external shown, and reports as what?

It may have simply failed